Every Rose has its Thorn
by Captain Greene
Summary: Natalia "9" Woo seemed undesirable to most and unobtainable to the rest. One man let nothing stand in his way. There was something in those eyes...
1. Smirk

_**Chapter 1 - Smirk**_

His blue eyes lazily opened halfway, Epsilon instinctively crossed his arms and cocked his head to an angle when he saw the OPS agent march out of the elevator and into the Citizen's Promenade. He almost netted himself as many additional years to his sentence with his ever-present smirk as he did with his unruly comments.

"Woo hoo, another operation from the Office of Peace &amp; Stability," he snarked.

Natalia "9" Woo did not look amused at the play on her name. Of course, it was somewhere near the four thousand, six hundred and fifty-eighth time she'd heard it, and probably the seven-hundred and tenth time it had escape the lips of this man in particular while in her earshot. Her emerald hair contrasted sharply against her vermillion OPS agent coat and glistened in the artificial light of the Citizen's Promenade.

"Listen up, worms. A high-ranking citizen is out there in a hot zone, and you Sinners are going to get her before a rival panopticon does. Details have been sent to your Accessories, so get out there!" she barked and she turned to leave.

"I don't suppose you'd like to fill us in a little beforehand, Natalia, my sweet?" The comment came from the team leader, laden with sarcasm.

Nina rolled her eyes and Carlos chuckled, while Uwe elbowed Epsilon in the rib. "Cut that out."

Natalia scowled, gritted her teeth and clenched her fist that didn't have a tablet computer in it. How did she get stuck dealing with this crew of troublemakers? And how in the name of Percy Propa did Epsilon "Fencer" Epitaph, of all people, end up as the team leader?

"I don't suppose I would," she spat, not even bothering to face the speaker as she stormed away.

"For the greater good!" Epsilon crowed, raising a fist into the air as she disappeared into the elevator.

Natalia didn't even bother threatening to extend his sentence. She knew threats were futile; This one required action - prompt, swift, and aggressive. For all the trouble he caused, however, Epsilon wasn't all bad. No matter how much she extended his sentence, he rebounded with a vengeance and took on enough extra operations to clear off the extra years before she could even pick up her dry cleaning the next day. It was like a game; He committed crimes, she dealt out punishments. It was a vicious cycle, yet at the same time a beautiful harmony, and it got things accomplished for the panopticon. In fact, in his sector, he was among the top contributors to the Gross Panopticon Product. Many called him talented, and many looked up to him as some sort of folk hero. She really couldn't complain... Much. Her only concern was his penchant for rebellion. What would happen if he decided to head a revolt? Would a force of OPS agents be enough to stop an entire panopticon of Sinners? For that matter, would anything short of a Retribution be enough? Natalia shook her head. This wasn't the time to be thinking about such things... or that troublemaker, Epsilon Epitaph. That had to be a code name, that couldn't be his true surname, could it? Confound it, there she went, again.

Back in the Citizen's Promenade, the sinners were discussing the encounter.

"I tell ya, I think the temperature drops ten degrees when she walks in," Carlos remarked.

"Well, let's see what this one's all about," Epsilon said. "Carla, what new operations are available to undertake?"

"A new voluntary operation has been issued. Operation CT507: Extraction. Primary objective: Citizen at large in restricted area. Deliver citizen to RRU for extraction. Locate citizen's missing kitten and return it along with her. Find the kitten or don't come home," The coffee-haired Accessory robotic companion cheerfully piped up.

Epsilon rolled his eyes. Uwe scowled at him and Carlos shook his head. Nina was the only one who seemed to show any interest or enthusiasm, and that was probably only because someone had used the word, "kitten."

"Well, it's not as bad as the time she sent us after that patch of wild strawberries," the team leader observed.

"No, that one was better, because strawberries stay put," Carlos debated.

"Point," Epsilon conceded.

"But that poor girl and her kitty! I hope there's a nice, big Abductor waiting for us out there," Nina said to nobody in particular.

"You know, if you weren't such an arrogant son of a jerk to her, Natalia might actually give us some missions that did the 'con some good," Uwe said gruffly to the snarky team captain. "Maybe, if you pulled the Thorn out of your -"

"Uwe," grinning, Epsilon looked the man in the eye, placed one hand on his shoulder and shook an index finger at him with the other, "You're absolutely right. But what fun would it be, if I didn't harass my superiors a little bit, now and then? Besides, it's a breach of the People's Charter to launch an Ibara thorn device at a person's posterior."

"They're OUR superiors," Nina chimed in. "We're all forced to tag along on these frivolous outings she's so bent on giving you, spending our resources and sometimes risking our lives for your shenanigans."

"And we have a lot of fun!" Epsilon raised both hands about shoulder-high, speaking defensively. "We get away from the office for a little while, bring back some goodies, and get a pat on the back from some authority or other. It's not a bad gig! We're not getting shot up on some faraway battlefield over a barrel of oil or a bale of pinestraw."

"We're also not decreasing our debt to the state, either." Even Carlos was getting tired of his captain's rash antics and the resulting punishments. "Sentence reduction: One year."

Nina's emotionless expression spoke volumes. "One year, Epsilon. We're never going to clear our sentences and become Citizens!"

"Kittens are good for morale, you know." Epsilon's final argument fell flat.

"It's not even OUR kitten!" Nina burst out, "Citizen's don't hang out with us, let alone TALK to us, unless they have to. They tell us we smell funny. I don't really smell funny... do I?"

Epsilon glanced at Carlos, who quickly turned his gaze to Uwe, who pressed his middle finger and thumb to his temples and heaved a sigh, eyes closed.

"Let's just go and get this over with," Uwe's weary voice suggested.

Epsilon sheepishly nodded, and the crew left the Citizen's Promenade to prepare for the mission. Little did anyone know that the mission they were about to undertake would forever transform their captain, probably the team, and perhaps even the entire panopticon, itself.


	2. Forbidden: Love

_**Chapter 2 - Forbidden: Love**_

The brown-haired man looked up from his state-issued Sinner's I.D. card to the large TV screen on the wall of his cell, where a large stuffed bear was telling him that he'd have to begin basic military training very soon. Apparently, his knowledge and skills were properties of the state, and he'd just squandered them by losing his memory. As punishment, he was sentenced to one million years of penal servitude to the panopticon. He looked down to the I.D., again. There was a picture of him.

"Epsilon 'Leech' Epitaph," it said in large letters near the top corner.

"Accessory Unit: Carla."

He glanced at what he'd thought was a young woman, standing just inside the cell door (lurking quite creepily, in his opinion). Apparently, she had been damaged heavily during his last mission and had been returned to him refurbished and wearing the standard-issue Accessory's coat. The stuffy coat, along with her hair, facial features and demeanor made her look strikingly like a grown-up Wednesday from the Addams Family.

"I wonder if she can do anything more than lurk by the door like a weirdo?" He said to himself.

He stood up. He needed to think. He began pacing back and forth, trying to remember anything of how he ended up here. Nothing came, until a robotic voice spoke sternly.

"It is a crime to pace more than five steps while confined. Your sentence has been extended by ten years."

His jaw dropped. A crime to walk around his own cell? The room was barely big enough to spit across! He went back to the bunk on the wall. It didn't look comfortable, but he lay down on it, anyway. Why was nothing coming to him?

"It is a crime to recline during confinement," the robot piped up, again. "Sentence extended by five years."

"Come on!" Epsilon exclaimed, incredulous. How could such menial actions be against the law? In a flash, he was standing beside the robot, fist drawn back and ready to ruin her makeup.

"How many years for damaging state property?" he growled.

"Please refer to the Window On Liberty to purchase entitlements for freedoms," the robot replied, nonchalant.

He turned his head to the giant monitor on the wall and dropped his fist. With no reaction from the robot and little else to do, he checked the board. Just about everything was against the law, unless one paid for the privilege to perform activities. Pacing, reclining, leaving the cell, even talking to women, any and every freedom had to be purchased with these Entitlement Points. How on earth did one earn entitlement points?

"Complete operations for the greater good to earn entitlement points and begin your contribution to the panopticon," the robot responded, as if reading his mind. Everything about it was beginning to creep him out. Much to his dismay, he would soon learn that this thing was to be his constant companion, to honor and cherish, 'til death did them part. He did learn that he could change her apparel and gear for a negligible fee, which he did as soon as he was able; Red combat boots with shin reinforcement, red leggings leaving a small segment of her thighs bare, red mini skirt, bare midriff, red turtleneck covered by a yellow field jacket, a pair of anti-glare spectacles, and finally, a red beret topping her shoulder-length, coffee-colored hair. He inspected the preview image one last time.

"Not bad," he nodded. While he was taking his refresher course in military operations, the crew of Citizens who maintained Accessory units would take her away to make the necessary modifications.

So, it was off to basic training, for him. Call it skill, muscle memory, luck, or whatever you like, but he passed with flying colors. After that, he was reunited with his old crew. There was one new person that nobody had met before, though that didn't really matter to Epsilon, because he didn't very well recognize any of them, anyway.

"You got punched in the face by an abductor? That's some heavy shaz!" the newcomer, a young man called Mattias exclaimed.

"After he got hit in the face by ME," Nina added. She rubbed her elbow where she had hit a building when she got thrown at Eppy.

"That's what they tell me," Epsilon replied, cracking a grin, "Though I have no recollection of it."

He hadn't forgotten his trademark smirk, though it quickly faded when an angry-looking woman in a long, red jacket came into view.

"Who's that?" Epsilon whispered to Matthias with a suspicious glance.

"No, that's Woo - Natalia "9" Woo, the OPS agent assigned to our platoon," Matthias answered.

"Woo hoo, she's quite a looker," Epsilon remarked.

Nina and Carlos stared at him, mouths hanging open in surprise, while Uwe only closed his eyes and sighed.

"Here we go again," he muttered.

Matthias wasn't sure how to respond. "I hear she's pretty rough, too; Ready to dish out additional years to our sentences for even the slightest infraction. Better not step out of line!"

She was upon them, now.

"Listen up, worms! There's an assignment for you."

Too busy taking in the view to hear the words that were being spoken, Epsilon was eying the blue necktie that curiously ran into the neck of the woman's jacket and out through an oddly-placed zipper below her neck. As her arm tensed due to her fist clenching, his gaze wandered to what was barely visible through the partly opened zipper, then traced a single lock of emerald hair to the top of her head, where a tiny field cap sat, slightly askew. There must have been bobby pins holding it in place, otherwise it would surely have fallen off. His eyes continued their visual reconnoiter down her other cheek, noticing a mouth full of gritted teeth and bypassing a delicate nose on their way up to find a pair of spectacles with red frames supporting the lenses. Behind the lenses -

"You have pretty eyes," Epsilon interrupted, clearly having not listened to a single word she'd said.

His companions minds promptly overloaded. After their brains rebooted a minute later, they picked their jaws up off the floor.

The agent's eyes were hazel (more or less coincidentally, the same color as his Accessory's) and were glaring at him with a hatred unrivaled by anyone he'd ever known... and then, he realized that, due to his amnesia, he actually didn't remember anyone at all ever having been angry with him. He knew that was probably working in his favor, right now, and tried to suppress a grin.

She continued her speech once his eyes met hers and he kept staring into her eyes as she spoke, as if he was trying to read her very soul.

"I heard that a head trauma during your last operation gave you amnesia. I wanted to do that myself years ago, but the People's Charter discourages all acts that detract from the glory and prosperity of our wonderful panopticon. Anyway, the folks in charge are glad you survived and are benevolently offering you a second chance to prove you're more than just a drain on society. There are some operations available for CODE 1 sinners like yourself, so go sign up and contribute to the greater good. Dismissed!"

She turned to leave.

"Wait a minute. You look like you could use a break - would you like to do dinner, sometime? I know this place," Epsilon trailed off, pointing a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the Fueling Station.

Natalia didn't even break her stride, though her empty fist clenched once more and she twitched, though she tried not to let it show.

"Come back when you can stay awhile! I bet you've got a pretty smile and I'd really like to see it sometime," Epsilon called after her.

Nina couldn't take it.

"EPSILON!"

She regained control of her hands just in time to pull them away from the amnesiac's throat without strangling him. "You hated her before, and now you're hitting on her? Are you TRYING to get our sentences extended again?"

"They say the eyes are a window to the soul," Epsilon argued. "Those are not hard eyes. They're eyes that have seen a lot, but they're soft eyes, eyes that yearn for more. They yearn for freedom. They yearn for friendship. Those eyes yearn... for love."

"The worst part," Uwe put in, "Is that I'm not convinced you aren't serious. That abductor really did a number on you."

"Natalia once told you that if it weren't for the paperwork she'd have to fill out, she'd hope you returned from a field operation in a box, and a small one, at that. She also said that if you were ever abducted by a rival 'Con, she wouldn't send a party to reclaim you. Then, she said she bet they'd return you within a week, but that she'd consider that a declaration of war," Carlos informed him.

"So, I could be absolved of my sentence, just by being a big enough pain in the neck?" The troublemaker chuckled.

"Something like that," Uwe responded, "Or get yourself executed. The world has no use for those who won't help maintain it."

Epsilon was undeterred. There was something about the OPS agent that he couldn't explain, but he liked it. There had to be something more behind that steel exterior... or maybe there wasn't. Either way, his curiosity was piqued and he wanted to find out.

"I don't know, she just seems awfully put out about this place. There's a lot on her mind. She's probably overworked, underpaid, and just needs a little time to relax," he replied. "Besides, she's cute when she's angry."

Nina snorted. "She's gonna be really cute for a long time, then, 'cuz she's always angry."

Mattias shook his head. "You must have a death wish, man. I'd stay far, far away from her, if I were you."

"I enjoy a challenge," Epsilon shrugged, giving his famous smirk that made people want to punch him.

"Well, you're in for a treat," Uwe glowered, "Because you have a better chance of becoming a citizen On High than you do of getting into Natalia '9' Woo's good graces."

"It's almost like even her name, itself is trying to discourage someone from pursuing her," Carlos added, ""Nein' is German for 'No', and to attempt to win someone's heart is to woo them..."

"So, Natalia '9' Woo is almost literally, Natalia Forbidden: Love," Nina paraphrased.

"Now, hold on. Chasing a woman is little different from hunting an abductor," Epsilon shook an index finger in protest. "A woman's heart, an abductor's pod, it's all the same. You've just got to find what works and keep plugging away until it opens. After that, the prize is free for the taking. It's the thrill of the hunt. The rarer the reward or the more dangerous the trophy, the more fun it is to pursue - and the better it feels when it's finally in your grasp. Forbidden fruit is the sweetest, they say."

Epsilon raised a hand and slowly closed it into a fist as he spoke, eyes half closed. If they hadn't realized it before, the others now knew he was in earnest. How, they couldn't understand. Epsilon was Epsilon; The things he did, only he understood, and they doubted if even he himself knew why he did what he did, half the time. They kind of wished he'd figure it out.

Carlos had one final word of caution before the group made their way to take on the mission the OPS had issued.

"Remember that when she begins shooting at you."

Within the solitude of her personal quarters, Natalia took a deep breath and inhaled the scent from a bottle of bath soap she kept on a ledge in her bathtub. Strawberry, her favorite. She reclined into the bubble bath, recounting the events of the day. She had worked long and hard to get to the station in life she currently enjoyed, which included her own personal lavatory and bathing facility instead of the public showers used by sinners. Water was rationed, of course, so she had to be sparing with the full baths, opting for sink rub-downs the majority of the time and an occasional shower. When she really needed to relax, though, nothing beat a nice, warm bubble bath. It didn't matter to her that she had to get the bath soap from the black market through a citizen who had contact with a sinner who knew a guy that made the stuff. Its contents were anybody's guess, she probably didn't even want to think about that, but it smelled good and it got the job done.

Her thoughts currently revolved around one particular part of the day. Epsilon "Leech" Epitaph; What was he playing at, now? Not once, during her career as an OPS agent, had a sinner seriously flattered or complimented her - at least not since she'd put her foot down and demanded the respect due her rank She'd learned to do that a long time ago as a Sinner, herself. Before his accident, Epsilon had made obviously sarcastic comments, but never before had he hit on her or actually asked her out. That was a little forward, even for Epsilon. He couldn't be serious, could he? Him, a lowly sinner, and that practically a novice once again, with a brand new million-year sentence hanging over his head. Her, an OPS agent, the creme de la creme of the panopticon and only one step down from the population On High (albeit a big step). What was he thinking? Even if he did have an interest in her, a relationship would be scandalous. She'd have to be extra hard on him to avoid looking like she was showing favoritism. Yes, maybe that's what she needed to do? Hopefully, it would discourage him from making any frivolous and foolish advances in the future. Natalia closed her eyes, the eyes that seemed to have held the amnesiac so enthralled, and tried to turn her thoughts elsewhere. Maybe, if he cleared his sentence and became a respectable and productive member of society, maybe then she might think about considering... Confound it, he was supposed to be invading rival 'Cons, why did he keep invading her thoughts?


	3. Stockholm Syndrome

_**Chapter 3 - Stockholm Syndrome**_

Before embarking on the operation, Epsilon traded the standard sinner's garb he'd been wearing when he was sent to CODE 1 quarters for a gold shirt and pale green long coat that he found residing in his closet.

The mission proceeded as usual without too much danger to the team, what with the smashing of Abductors, rescuing of Citizens, and harvesting of resources. While taking cover from enemy fire in an alleyway, Epsilon's gaze happened upon an innocent bystander, somehow unscathed by the onslaught of war: A wild strawberry plant. He found himself oddly compelled to protect it. Maybe, after the mission was completed, he'd come back and investigate them further. Was it a repressed memory that was being triggered? Perhaps these tiny, succulent fruits held the key to a fragment of his past? He made a mental note of the location.

Quickly and efficiently, they accomplished their objective. The mission report filed, Epsilon breathed a sigh of relief and glanced around him for any nearby resources to harvest. His eyes grew wide as he suddenly remembered the patch of strawberries he'd found earlier. He wracked his brain to remember which alleyway he'd seen them in. Breaking into a sprint, he checked a few of the many alleys the group had passed or taken cover in during the fight. Finally, he found them, but it was too late. As the timer ticked down the last few seconds before the automatic teleportation transfer began, he dove into the alley, scooping his fingers into the ground to try to uproot the plant.

The next moment, the others had to laugh when they saw him teleport into the home base, lying prone on the ground, carefully cradling something in his arms.

Matthias was the first to regain his composure. "Oooh, whatcha got there, pal? Some high-caliber resources that haven't been logged by the authorities?"

Nina was next. "Epsilon! Did you find us a kitten!?"

"No and no," the man shook his head, revealing the fruit he was protecting.

"Oh," Nina, Carlos, and Uwe all replied at the same time. In unison, they rolled their eyes, shook their heads, and walked away.

"What?" Epsilon questioned as they left.

"Our boy has amnesia AND Stockholm syndrome," Uwe lamented, barely audible to Epsilon and Mattias.

Mattias raised an eyebrow, but was not particularly interested either. He snagged a berry and popped it into his mouth with a grin before going his way.

Epsilon sampled one of the berries, as well. Yes, it was triggering a memory, but try as he might, he couldn't make sense of it. Perhaps he wasn't the one they were significant to, maybe it was someone that was important to him? As he made his way back to his cell, his eyes scanned the halls and rooms he passed aimlessly as he considered all the people he remembered or had met since he'd contracted amnesia. Judging by their reactions, it couldn't have been one of his crewmembers. Who could it be? His eyes went wide suddenly and he stopped walking, as though he'd run into some invisible wall.

Woo... could it be? That might explain the disinterested and even discouraged reaction his team had exhibited. He tasted another berry as he continued his way to his cell.

"Carla, could we go down to the warren?" he requested before they arrived.

"Permit granted," the robot replied a couple seconds later.

Still carrying the berry plant, which by now had no berries left on it, he looked and looked for someplace he might cultivate it. It wouldn't be easy, since it was a high-traffic area where Sinners of all CODE ranks congregated during all permitted free hours of the day and night. Even if he did find a place, there was no guarantee that somebody wouldn't uproot the plant or claim any berries that grew for their own. After all, fresh fruit was far from common among the hundreds of Sinners that called the panopticon home. He couldn't entrust them to a Citizen, they'd either double-cross him or accuse him of bribery or hoarding resources. He did not need to attract more attention to himself, and at the moment, that was fairly easy, since he was once again one of the masses of CODE 1 Sinners. They were too numerous to count and too insignificant to pay any mind to... Meaning that rather than being really easy to get away with this or anything outside the ordinary orders and operations, it would be very, very difficult to find a place to hide them or anyone willing to overlook and possibly maintain them. He tried his best to plant what was left of the tiny bush into a small patch of dirt he found behind a building in the warren. If that didn't work, he might be stuck scavenging for them during voluntary operations, and his team would not look on that very favorably. He'd have to keep his intentions very well concealed.

Hopefully, if he was able to obtain more of these red berries, he'd be able to decrypt this repressed memory.

There was one other person who might be able to make use of those plants, and if so, maybe he'd be willing to tend and cultivate them. Perhaps, with some fresher and more natural ingredients, he could cut back on some of the medicine used in its production? It was worth a try.


	4. Tally Ho!

_**Chapter 4 - Tally Ho!**_

As the days and CODE ranks passed by, Epsilon found himself admiring the emerald-haired virago more and more. Most called her a dragon lady, many THE dragon lady: He preferred vixen in every non-literal sense of the word. Everything about her that others hated, he found alluring. She tried to make herself unlovable to the Sinners she oversaw; That only endeared her to him. She commanded them and drove them like dogs; They needed the guidance, and she was a flawless manager. Her humorless face and hard gaze pitied no one; He knew it wasn't an act, and that she'd built herself up from nothing, probably beginning life in the same shoes he had. Even her stature was imposing, for she towered over the Citizens and was even a slight bit taller than Epsilon; The bigger the challenge, the more it called to him. Was he crazy? Probably. Rebellious? Definitely. But something about this agent made him want to do her bidding. He knew it was for the good of the 'Con. He knew she cared a great deal for the state and its inhabitants, and was looking out for its best interest. No panopticon could survive without a very delicate balance between the OPS, the Citizenry, and the Sinning population, and Natalia Woo was as good an overseer as any. Perhaps better, since she was very easy on Epsilon's eyes. Even the color of her hair indicated to him that she wasn't all business, that there must have been a playful side somewhere. Green wasn't a natural hair color, why did she choose that shade? The more he learned of her personality, the more curious it made him.

After his initial encounter with her, Epsilon did not openly make any more friendly advances. His body language gave subtle hints, though he wasn't certain if she'd pick up on them; A meaningful look in the eye; A purposeful brush of the hand across her own; A subtle smile when they talked. He didn't fight her, either, he did her bidding as he was expected to do. Better than expected, actually, because his pre-amnesia track record had been blowing her off and backtalking; A fair number of his prior sentence years had been acquired for insubordination. That didn't mean he just blindly obeyed her commands now, though. No, now he carefully considered her orders and was able to justify almost every one of them. Whereas before his amnesia, he'd seen OPS agents as authority figures to be disrespected and disobeyed, he now saw them (well, at least Natalia,) as a caretaker for the 'Con to be appreciated and looked up to.

Everything went smoothly for the first few CODE ranks. Then, came the CODE 7 exam.

When he heard the description, Epsilon was ecstatic. He, himself, facing off against an OPS agent and giving them what-for? That's the chance he'd lived for, before the accident! Now, he simply saw it as a chance to prove his skills to those in charge and get some recognition. He was even more excited when he learned who was administering his exam: Natalia "9" Woo had volunteered to test his mettle. It was to be him and her, mano y mano in a game of hard-core laser tag, until one of them depleted their sustainability. It was stacked in his favor, as he could take 15 hits, and she only 9.

"Piece of cake," he said to himself on the way to the exam location.

"I won't go easy on you, Epsilon," Natalia warned as they prepared for the battle ahead. "The panopticon has no use for people who won't give their all for its greater glory. If you die, you'll simply be another failure, another waste of the state's time and resources."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Epsilon replied, defiantly.

As the countdown timer expired, he shot a quick visual of her location. She was taking cover by the small support structure. He took his position on a ledge across the open roadway and looked for an opportunity. It came all too soon, and both his trigger finger and his tongue were ready.

"Nine lives, what are you, a cat?" he heckled, landing his first "kill."

She got up and dusted herself off. She spoke something unintelligible into her headset.

Suddenly, her Accessory robot appeared.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Epsilon jeered. "If you get your Accessory, I want mine, too."

"Life's not fair, Epsilon. That's why strawberries come in different sizes."

He couldn't deny that. He hid behind a small guard rail that allowed him to see her moving on the ground below. As she got close to his position, he pulled the pin from a flash grenade. On a real battlefield, this would have been a fragmentation grenade powerful enough to grievously wound a soldier, but in a mock battle, flash grenades were all he'd been provided with. At the right distance (or lack thereof), they would be considered a kill.

"'Tally ho!" he shouted as he tossed the grenade down to her. It exploded almost before it reached her feet.

That was two down, seven more to go.

Wait a minute, why did she use strawberries in her euphemism? Come to think about it, her hair and coat... Natalia "9" Woo LOOKED like a big strawberry! He put his hand on an innocuous-looking ammo pouch on his belt. Inside it was a strawberry. He'd been bringing one along on missions for luck, in hopes that it would trigger another memory, ever since his first encounter with the fruit since his accident.

He barely had time for his little revelation before another Accessory unit came into the area.

"Get out of here, kid, you bother me," he said, making short work of the robot with his laser assault rifle.

He turned back to look for Natalia, but it was too late. The laser beam hit him and registered a kill for Natalia. He threw his Ibara whip at her and latched on. Retracting it, he leaped through the air and clipped her shoulder with his weapon as he passed. Three kills for Epsilon.

A geared-up OPS officer carrying a sword appeared, shortly thereafter.

"Hey now, I wasn't briefed on this being a possibility," he complained.

"You can never predict what you'll find on a battlefield completely accurately, worm," Natalia retorted.

"Meh, this is still below my pay grade," Epsilon shrugged. He'd fought plenty of fellow sinners, before, but trained OPS agents were new to him. He'd probably not been up against a sinner yet that had the skills to match one of them. Still, he'd been waiting for his chance to shine, and this was it.

As the agent came for him, he positioned himself in a corner on the second floor. He knocked out the sinner that came for him and laid a stun trap nearby. Setting a stun trap, he lay in wait around a corner for when Natalia would inevitably come to revive the person. Just as she reached the person, she tripped the stun trap and froze in place, allowing Epsilon to make short work of her. That was four, only five more to go.

"I was hoping we could be friends," He called out, narrowly dodging a laser beam.

"Go be friends with some of your peers," She replied. "We Agents have a job to do, and befriending sinners would not accomplish that goal."

"That matters little to me," he spoke, coolly, "I have you in my sight." Judging the direction she'd roll, he pulled the trigger and threw a grenade at the same time. As she recovered from her evasion of the laser shot, she rolled right into the flash grenade's detonation. Five kills.

"Epsilon, I'm changing my rounds to live ammunition," Natalia informed.

"What!? I thought this was supposed to be a simple test of my skills, not a deathmatch!" he exclaimed.

"You don't have live rounds, my dear Epsilon. This is not a deathmatch," she replied in a sultry tone, adding under her breath, "This is an assassination."

Another Accessory arrived, and the other sinner and Natalia began reviving the ones who had been "knocked out" during the match. Epsilon took this opportunity to pick off those giving aid, and any who had been revived already. Including, but not limited to Natalia, once again. Six down, three to go.

This time, another sinner entered the fray. Epsilon wasn't safe, even up on the ledges he'd been using for cover from the Accessories. Those stun traps really came in handy, now.

This was what he lived for: Excitement, the thrill of the hunt. The woman was right, if he could hold his own against the panopticon's finest, then he was surely one of their best and ready to lead a frontline assault on the enemy. This, though, was nigh suicide. He may have been crazy, but he wasn't stupid.

Another kill later, he was lining up his scope for the final strike, when he was caught off guard from behind. After being stunned for a moment, he got back up and shook himself. By now, the others were reviving the downed fighters, and he'd have to pick them off one by one again, before he could go against his prey.

It was with some difficulty he did just that. His target had holed herself up in the center support structure of the area. Epsilon was patrolling it, watching for any motion or sign of her.

"Oh 'Tally, where are you?" he called. "'Taaalllyyy!"

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, and stood up from her cover and fired on him. He noticed just in the nick of time, and sidestepped out of the way. Throwing his Ibara whip at her again, he planted his feet and retracted the device such that it pulled her to him, instead of launching him toward her. He held her there in front of him but facing forward, unable to move. Drawing his Murasame knife, he raised it to her throat.

"If you kill me, you WILL be executed," she threatened.

"Kill you? Why would I do that?" He replied, surprised. He raised the knife up a bit, now with the point held near her mouth. On the tip of the knife was a single strawberry, ripe and red. It was a little bruised, after being carried in an ammo pocket for the duration of the fight.

The sheer surprise of it caused her to gasp, and the very second her mouth dropped open, he gently pushed the berry between her lips. It wasn't a particularly juicy berry, given the poor quality of the soil in their beloved 'Con and lack of decent fertilizer, but it was a strawberry, confound it! And it was tasty. As she bit into the soft, fleshy fruit, Epsilon withdrew the knife and released the woman, allowing her to finish the berry in peace.

"That's game," he declared. "Score's seven to nine."

Still facing away from him, she nodded as they both looked out at the Accessories and sinners strewn about the battlefield. They'd be recalled by the med ward, soon.

"You remembered," Natalia whispered.

"Yup," Epsilon replied. He couldn't help from cracking his trademark smirk. He wasn't entirely certain what he remembered, but he was sorting out what the memory meant. He raised a hand to place it on the woman's shoulder.

"This doesn't change anything. You're still a CODE 6, er CODE 7 sinner." she snapped, pulling away before his hand landed. "Congratulations on that, by the way."

The voice was stern and business-like, but the eyes were talking, again. He saw relief, perhaps that he'd remembered this one small detail about life before his accident, or maybe because this high-level, hard-boiled fighter wasn't all muscle and bullets; He had something of a gentlemanly side, too. He saw fear, maybe for what lay ahead for him, her, and the 'Con. He saw happiness, probably because that berry was about the best this crop had produced. He saw sadness, possibly because they were still leagues apart, socially. As she'd said, he was naught but a CODE 7 sinner, and she was an Agent of the Office of Peace &amp; Stability.

At any rate, he'd proven his worth to the state, and the two went their separate ways and spoke little of the incident, afterward. Now, the real work began; It was time to face Abel, the enemy of the state.


	5. Paid in Full

_**Chapter 5 - Paid in Full**_

After a fairly harrowing battle against first, an infiltration team from the terrorist group Hourai, then Abel and his prototype abductor, Red Rage, and finally, an ancient Peltatum-class monstrosity, the crew of Epsilon, Nina, Mattias, and Beatrice were hailed as heroes. As fate would have it, the sentence reduction awarded them for fighting off the hulking thing and literally saving the world cleared the final few thousand years from Epsilon's sentence. When he received his updated Sinner I.D., there were two stops he had to make.

He stopped at the Fueling Station to pick up something from Jiro. It was wrapped up in pretty paper, to keep it from becoming too messy on the way to his next stop.

With his sentence reduced to nothing, Epsilon was in something of a social limbo; He wasn't considered a Citizen, yet, but he was allowed access to a lot more areas than a typical sinner against the state. He was headed to the Office of Peace and Stability.

When he arrived, he kicked the door open forcefully, causing it to swing open quickly, but stop short without hitting the wall. He marched toward the surprised woman's desk and thrust the paper package into her hands. She opened it slowly, uncertain of what she would find. Her eyes went wide when she saw what it was: An ice cream cone, the ice cream made with fresh strawberries grown right here in their very own panopticon. It was a treat like no other.

There had been one barrier between them.

Epsilon slammed his Sinner's I.D. on the desk and slid it toward her, barcode facing up. As she enjoyed the cold treat, she picked it up and inspected the side that told all about him.

"You're a free man, now," she said between bites of ice cream. She had to eat it kind of quickly, due to it melting more and more as the moments passed. "What are you going to do?"

Epsilon stared boldly into those entrancing hazel eyes.

"I would like a job application," he replied smugly.

She was surprised.

"Epsilon "Dauntless" Epitaph, you've been a thorn in my side ever since I met you."

"Every rose has its Thorn," he replied with a smirk. Sitting behind her desk, ice cream smeared around the corners of her lips, Natalia "9" Woo smiled back.

Many would go on to say that Epsilon made a surprisingly fine OPS agent, given all the trouble he'd caused as a sinner. He was strict when it was warranted, but lenient and easy-going when it was appropriate to be so. The smirk that earned him so many additional years to his sentence before now infuriated those he commanded. Still, in his eyes, there was a gleam of playfulness, a hint of softness, and a touch of compassion for those serving the panopticon on the front lines.

That had been Natalia's final stipulation, and he had accepted the challenge without even knowing it had been issued. Epsilon Epitaph was becoming a productive member of society.

Sometimes, after work and after the sinners' free hours had expired, one could hear them behind the Fueling Station in the Warren, Epsilon and Natalia talking and laughing, legs swinging as they enjoyed Jiro's new medicine-free strawberry ice cream while sitting on the artificial cliff where the pavement had been rent asunder.

There was no hatred, no sadness in those eyes, now. There was still stress from the day's work of directing sinners against the state. But there was happiness for what had been and was being accomplished for the greater good of the 'Con. There was joy at having met someone who held equally high standards for himself and everyone he commanded, someone she could respect and look up to, even if he wasn't yet at her rank (or her height, for that matter).

The two made a great pair, both in OPS agent uniform and in civies. Natalia, seldom showing her vulnerable side to any except him, and Epsilon, who was infuriatingly untouchable in most everything he did. Of course, they were but two agents in the vast 'Con, and the place could easily survive without them. But the sinners they directed always felt valued. They always felt welcome to come home after a day in the field. And neither agent refused a sinner's request for them to attend the battlefield.


	6. Million-Year Sentence of Love

_**Chapter 6 - Million-Year Sentence of Love**_

Epsilon awakened with a start. It was dark and something was pinning his right arm down. He tried to pull it free, but it was no use. It didn't hurt; In fact, whatever was holding him down felt quite soft. He squinted to try to see what it was, but it was too dark.

Where was he? Where was Carla? Was she somewhere on the ground below, unable to reach him, or was she incapacitated, or worse, had she been abducted?

He seemed to be lying on something soft. Was it sand? No, it was more coagulated than sand. It felt like... cloth?

Some vehicles working nearby shifted, permitting light to enter the room. Oh, he was simply at home in his panopticon. But the thing pinning his arm? The artificial light glistened off something hanging from a lamp on a night table beside him; A ring of steel, clad in a thin layer of a gold-colored metal, dangled from a simple metal beaded chain. Oh, yeah. Turning back to the "object" on his arm, he saw emerald hair shimmering in the faint light.

Pushing the hair off of her face, Epsilon brushed his free left hand across her upper back, then down her side, taking in the tactile sensation. He wrapped the wandering arm around her middle, drawing himself closer to her. He leaned in, lips barely an inch from her ear.

"You must be an angel come down from On High, because 'Tally, my valkyrie, you've abducted my heart," he whispered, giving the sleeping woman a hug.

Natalia Woo Epitaph smiled. Was it an unconscious reaction to his breath tickling her ear? Was she not quite as asleep as he'd thought? He didn't care. People called him crazy, said it couldn't be done. As far as he cared, the war was over, and he had won. Watching the seemingly heartless and humorless woman smile, feeling the smoothness of her skin under his fingertips, knowing the trust and affection of her head lying on his chest, these were things that even amnesia would never be able to wrest from his memory.

Tomorrow, there would be sinners fighting to earn their freedom, though Epsilon Epitaph was no longer one of them. There would be Citizens to protect. At the moment, none of that mattered. Tonight, there was no war, no rival 'Cons, no spies, no Abductors, not even Accessories watching their every move. There was him and there was her, and tonight was theirs. Holding her in his arms now was worth the sentence he'd worked off twice, and he was willing to pay it off in full again and again, if it meant staying here forever. His was no longer a million-year sentence of debt to the state; His was a million-year sentence of love.

* * *

Thank you for reading! If you're a member of On High forum, you can read the illustrated version of this story. This was submitted for OnHighForum's surprise FanFic contest event.


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